Stylin: Recent Beauty Finds for Everyday Meals

Part of the fun of enjoying a meal is dressing for it. The right outfit sets the mood. I think the food just tastes better when I’m dressed appropriately for the occasion. My ensemble for a night out with the girls is very different from the one I would wear to a Sunday boozy brunch. Here, I’ll show you how I style myself for all sorts of different meals.


While I typically pair a look with a restaurant or event, today’s Stylin post is about two makeup items you could wear every single day.  So lets call this the look for the office cafeteria or Duane Reade run.

I am by no means a beauty junkie and pretty much keep it to the basics.  Recently, I discovered two new products that fall into the “basics” category but really up the ante when it comes to items we designate as “everyday.”

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The first is Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara.  In the past, I’ve gone to mascara extremes.  Either I go the drug store route and get a sub-$10 one (this one from Covergirl is my fave and has the endorsement of a very big deal makeup artist who once did me up for an event) or I go high end with something silicone-based/tubular and expensive (like this from Trish McEvoy).

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However, after reading tons of great reviews (like this one) about this mascara from Too Faced, I decided to give it a go.  I was super pleased with the result.  I loved the softer brush and felt it lent itself to a more natural, softer, non-clumpy look.  Also, because of the the wand’s shape, you get a lot of the lashes covered in just a swipe or two.  With a price of $23 it comes in right at the average of my two mascara extremes.  I definitely think it does an even better job than my drugstore brand so I’m happy to spend the additional money and no longer feel like it’s necessary to go into that $32 price range to get great lashes.

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Mascara on but the rest of my makeup routine was not quite finished

The next product I picked up was Sephora’s own Cream Lip Stain.  I am a big fan of lip color and never walk out the door with something on my lips.  For my everyday neutral, I’ve been using a YSL’s Rouge Volupté in 3 – Ultimate Beige for a while now.  I love that it’s a bit slick and the color is perfect.  However, at $37, it’s a splurge, especially since it’s not a long-lasting lipstick.

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While walking through the store, I decided to try out the Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve to see if it could maybe replace my YSL.  Turns out this lil gloss (which dries quickly in a perfectly matte finish) provides great, uniform color for only $14.  It doesn’t last alllll day, but it made it through my morning cup of coffee and took some very oily salad dressing before it wore off, so I call that a win.  I also love that it doesn’t feel thick.  The first day I tested it, I totally forgot I was wearing it and rushed to reach into my bag, only to realize as I opened my compact that I’d already put it on – that’s how natural it feels.

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A rushed application with terrible lighting, but I promise this stain is perfect

Both products cost a total of $37, which is the cost of JUST my high end lipstick OR mascara.  Since I don’t feel like I’m really sacrificing quality here, they’ve both become musts in my makeup bag.